AI-Assisted Child-Friendly Communication: AI-assisted communication tailored to the developmental stage, age, and gender of children aged 7-12 will be used. Using ChatGPT, voice recordings explaining the local anesthesia process in a child-friendly and reassuring way-avoiding anxiety-provoking terms such as "pain" and "needle"-will be prepared. Additionally, a one-minute calming and distracting story will be generated to be played during anesthesia to reduce anxiety and improve cooperation. Children will listen to the AI-generated explanation before the procedure and the story during anesthesia.
Traditional Behavior Management Techniques: Before local anesthesia, traditional behavior management techniques will be applied by the pediatric dentist based on clinical experience. These include a modified Tell-Show-Do approach (avoiding direct exposure to anxiety-provoking items like dental syringes), voice control, and positive reinforcement. The anesthesia procedure will be explained verbally in an age-appropriate and reassuring manner, for example by describing the use of a "magic sleepy spray" to numb the tooth. Following this, topical anesthesia and then local anesthesia will be administered. The total procedure will not exceed 5 minutes.
Study summary
This study compares the effects of traditional behavior management techniques and AI-assisted child-friendly communication on dental anxiety, physiological stress, and pain perception during local anesthesia in healthy children aged 6-12. The aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of AI-supported communication tools in reducing anxiety and improving comfort in pediatric dental treatments, potentially enhancing clinical outcomes and advancing technology use in pediatric dentistry.
Eligibility
Sex
ALL
Min age
7 Years
Max age
12 Years
Healthy volunteers
Accepted
Inclusion Criteria:
* Children volunteers and their parents/legal guardians who have read and signed the informed consent form and agreed to participate in the study
* Systemically healthy children aged 6-12 years in the mixed dentition period
* Children requiring restorative dental procedures (including pulpotomy, pulp capping, or composite restorations) on mandibular teeth under inferior alveolar nerve block local anesthesia
* Children who are attending their first dental visit and demonstrate behavior rated as 2 (negative) or 3 (positive) according to the Frankl Behavior Rating Scale (Categories: 1 - definitely negative; 2 - negative; 3 - positive; 4 - definitely positive) Behaviors will be categorized as positive (+) or negative (-) based on the Frankl Behavior Rating Scale (Wright's modification)
* Children receiving local anesthesia for the first time
Exclusion Criteria:
* Children volunteers and their parents/legal guardians who read the informed consent form but declined to participate in the study
* Children with systemic diseases requiring continuous medication
* Children with mental or cognitive impairments, as well as those with visual or hearing disabilities
* Children who, after oral prophylaxis at the first visit, exhibit "definitely negative" (Frankl 1) or "definitely positive" (Frankl 4) behavior according to the Frankl Behavior Rating Scale
* Children with previous experience of local anesthesia
Primary outcome measure(s)
Pulse — 5 minutes Throughout the session, pulse levels were recorded using a pulse oximeter at
three points: before, during, and after the local anesthesia.
Oxygen Saturation — 5 minutes Throughout the session, saturation levels were recorded using a pulse oximeter
at three points: before, during, and after the local anesthesia.
Trial sites (1)
Facility
City
Region
Status
Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University
Çanakkale
Kepez
Recruiting
More Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University trials in Turkey
This page summarises publicly available registry data for informational purposes — not medical advice. Eligibility is determined by each study team; patients should discuss participation with their clinician.
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